F-84G-21-RE (China)

␗F-84G-21-RE

␗IL-10 (1946)

Q-5 early

␗F-84G-21-RE

␗IL-10 (1946)

Q-5 early

China

V Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
7.7	7.7	8.0

Class:

Strike aircraft

Research:95 000

Purchase:270 000

Show in game

Description

The ␗F-84G-21-RE Thunderjet is a rank V Chinese jet fighter with a battle rating of 7.7 (AB/RB) and 8.0 (SB). It was introduced in Update 1.91 "Night Vision".

Republic Aircraft Company’s jump into the jet fighter market was not as smooth as they would have liked. They experienced severe growing pains as they developed and produced the F-84 series aircraft, especially the B, C, D and E variants. Important upgrades and modifications included a more powerful turbine engine, strengthened wings, aerodynamically secure wing-tip fuel tanks and a strengthened structure. The resultant of these upgrades was the much improved F-84G fighter, which boasted new innovations such as improved avionics, radar, the capability of in-flight refuelling and ability to carry a Mark 7 nuclear bomb. Though the operationally longest lasting of the series with the United States (into the mid-1960s), several other nations continued to use it including France and Italy, however, Greece continued flying their fighters until 1991.

Even with the changes from earlier models, even in-game pilots will notice the quirkiness of the F-84G. Noted for its nickname “Lead Sled”, the F-84G, like the B version in-game has an extremely long takeoff roll, around 1,500 m, typically due to the heavier payloads afforded to this aircraft. Though, once at altitude and during attack runs, the F-84G is an incredibly stable platform and can be outfitted with a number of various suspended armaments along with its six 12.7 mm M3 Browning machine guns. Each gun only has 300 rounds of ammunition, therefore trigger control is necessary or else the pilot will be left with empty guns in short order. Considered a multi-role aircraft, the F-84G can be utilised as a fighter-interceptor, bomber interceptor and ground attack fighter. The F-84G can be laden with a variety of bombs ranging from 100 lbs all the way up to two 1,000 lb bombs. HVAR and Tiny Tim rockets are a viable option alone or mixed with bombs to expand the options of targets to be attacked depending on the map the pilot is flying in.

Like many jet fighters, flying slowly makes for an easy target and this is no exception for the F-84G. Speed is necessary to ensure manoeuvrability both to engage a target and to shake a tail. Though not the fastest fighter at this rank, the F-84G can hold its own and when pressed, the six centre lined M3 Browning machine guns can punch enough holes in an enemy fighter to bring it down. Don’t expect this fighter when laden down with two 1,000 lbs bombs or two Tiny Tim and 24 HVAR rockets to excel in a dog-fight as it won’t with all that weight, however, after all that ordnance is released the F-84B can then mix it up, though it is preferable to maintain speed while performing Boom & Zoom manoeuvres.

While dealing with mixed reviews over its positive and negative aspects, the F-84 series aircraft paved the way for a later aircraft which magnified all of the positive qualities of the F-84, being a stable firing platform, loaded to the gills with assorted suspended armaments and a main gun which rained destruction on the enemy, this aircraft would later be know as the Fairchild-Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II.

General info

Flight performance

Describe how the aircraft behaves in the air. Speed, manoeuvrability, acceleration and allowable loads - these are the most important characteristics of the vehicle.

Characteristics
Stock
Max Speed (km/h at 0 m - at sea level)		Max altitude (meters)	Turn time (seconds)		Rate of climb (meters/second)		Take-off run (meters)
AB	RB		AB	RB	AB	RB
???	???	12500	??.?	??.?	??.?	??.?	1,040
Upgraded
Max Speed (km/h at 0 m - at sea level)		Max altitude (meters)	Turn time (seconds)		Rate of climb (meters/second)		Take-off run (meters)
AB	RB		AB	RB	AB	RB
???	???	12500	??.?	??.?	??.?	??.?	1,040

Details

Features
Combat flaps	Take-off flaps	Landing flaps	Air brakes	Arrestor gear
✓	✓	✓	✓	X

Limits
Wing-break speed (km/h)	Gear limit (km/h)	Combat flaps (km/h)	Max Static G
			+	-
		550	~10	~5

Optimal velocities
Ailerons (km/h)	Rudder (km/h)	Elevators (km/h)	Radiator (km/h)
< 530	< 600	< 690	N/A

Compressor (RB/SB)
Setting 1
Optimal altitude	100% Engine power	WEP Engine power
0 m	2,300 kgf	N/A

Survivability and armour

Examine the survivability of the aircraft. Note how vulnerable the structure is and how secure the pilot is, whether the fuel tanks are armoured, etc. Describe the armour, if there is any, and also mention the vulnerability of other critical aircraft systems.

Armaments

Offensive armament

Describe the offensive armament of the aircraft, if any. Describe how effective the cannons and machine guns are in a battle, and also what belts or drums are better to use. If there is no offensive weaponry, delete this subsection.

Suspended armament

Describe the aircraft's suspended armament: additional cannons under the wings, bombs, rockets and torpedoes. This section is especially important for bombers and attackers. If there is no suspended weaponry remove this subsection.

Defensive armament

Defensive armament with turret machine guns or cannons, crewed by gunners. Examine the number of gunners and what belts or drums are better to use. If defensive weaponry is not available, remove this subsection.

Usage in battles

The F-84G is a versatile multi-role fighter and can be configured to be used in various types of aerial warfare, namely bomber interceptor, ground attack and fighter-interceptor.

Bomber Interceptor

Thanks to an upgraded engine compared to the F-84B, the G model has a bit more climbing power and does not need to rely solely on side climbing and reach the necessary altitude to begin hunting bombers or diving onto hapless fighters. As a bomber interceptor, the pilot has two options for weapon load-outs besides the default guns, noting the HVAR and Tiny Tim rockets.

If the F-84G is still stock or in the process of upgrading modules, the best bet will be to not load any suspended armaments and rely on the six 12.7 mm M3 Browning machine guns to do the work. Just using the machine guns will help save on weight and make it a bit easier to climb on the unmodified engine. For those pilots who have modified engines, they can opt for guns only for a quicker climb or attach HVAR rockets for an additional punch against larger bombers.

Once at altitude, scan and select a bomber target of opportunity. It is best to attain higher altitude than the bomber, giving you options as to which direction to attack from and increase your speed when diving in, speed is key to avoid defensive guns, race out of their range and to gain enough distance to safely turn around and follow up with another attack if needed.

Since the six M3 machine guns are virtually centred on the aircraft, the inbound bullets will be clustered and should be aimed at engines, cockpit, fuel tanks and any other critical areas as the body of the aircraft can sometimes absorb a large amount of smaller calibre ammunition before causing a critical hit or crippling the aircraft. The limitation of only 300 rounds per gun will require trigger discipline by the pilot to ensure enough rounds are available for a secondary or tertiary attack without having to reload or return to base.

Utilizing HVAR rockets at large lumbering bombers can have a great impact, though unguided, they will need to be pointed in the general direction when launched, it may take several practice runs to determine best angle and distance in which to fire from for a successful attack. As with any unguided rocket, the best bet is to launch a volley of rockets to ensure a greater chance of at least one hitting.

Ground Attack

Jet fighters tend to not make good ground attackers as it typically requires them to fly low and slow making them easy pickings for enemy fighters above or anti-aircraft fire below. Since the F-84G is neither an exceptionally fast fighter nor a lumbering bomber, it has an advantage of being fast enough to be dangerous to ground targets without being a sitting duck for patrolling enemy fighters. Compared to many other fighters which are capable of ground attack, the F-84G can carry a fantastic amount of ground attack ordnance which can seriously put a dent into the enemy teams vehicles, bunkers and bases.

While many aircraft available in War Thunder has a specific role of fighter-interceptor, ground attack or bomber, the F-84G can set itself up with suspended ordnance depending on the targets available on the map. The F-84G has several options depending on the modules unlocked by the pilot which range from outfitting HVAR unguided rockets, massive Tiny Tim unguided rockets, 100 lb, 250 lb, 500 lb and 1,000 lb bombs or a mixture of bombs and rockets.

Smaller bombs and the HVAR rockets are best for going after lighter armoured targets such as aircraft (on the ground or with rockets in the air), anti-aircraft batteries, trucks, some light tanks and ships. The larger Tiny Tim rockets and bombs are best reserved for more hardened targets like pillboxes, medium and large tanks, bunkers, large ships and bases. This fighter is not afraid to get down and dirty taking out ground targets, just be aware of your surroundings and watch for enemy fighters or anti-aircraft guns poised to take you out.

Fighter Interceptor

While definitely not the fastest nor the most manoeuvrable fighter on the field, the F-84G has enough speed and manoeuvrability to take on fighter jets. The centerline six M3 machine guns concentrate enough lead into one spot to damage or destroy fighter aircraft flying in its path. While turning this fighter is bad due to bleeding airspeed (although maybe an option if you are trying to force an overshoot), Immelmann and Split-S manoeuvres will help you change directions keeping up your speed and allowing for a getaway or a targeting solution.

Boom & Zoom tactics will enable the F-84G to have the speed to manoeuvre and set up their shots and keep them active in the fight. Many enemy fighters may mistake the F-84G as a weak and slow aircraft, however, the machine is not 100% of the solution and many pilots can take lesser aircraft and best faster, more agile and better-gunned aircraft by using their training, skills and the F-84B. The only time to count out the F-84G is when you see the pilot bail out, otherwise, always consider it a threat.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Center-line armament of six .50 cal machine guns with a great rate of fire
• Huge payload options, a fantastic ground attacker
• Good acceleration
• Excellent dive speed
• Sturdy wings, nearly unrippable

Cons:

• Turn rate is not very good, though better than the F-84B
• Manoeuvrability diminished with heavy payloads
• Middle road fighter, not the best or fastest, but capable
• Long takeoff roll out

History

In early 1944, Alexander Kartveli, the chief designer for the Republic Aviation Aircraft Company set out to work on a replacement for the piston-powered P-47 Thunderbolt which instead would be powered by a turbojet. All attempts at trying to use the P-47 frame to accommodate a turbojet failed and Kartveli resorted to designing a brand new aircraft around an axial compressor turbojet engine. Due to the nature of the engine taking up a large majority of the fuselage, fuel tanks were designed to be in the wings of the aircraft, however, the body was streamlined to make the smallest profile possible and retain all necessary critical components.

The USAAF in September 1944 released new requirements for a daytime fighter along with specific characteristics such as the top speed of 600 mph (966 kph), armament of six 21.7mm machine guns or four 15.2 mm machine guns along with housing a General Electric TG-180 axial turbojet also known as the Allison J35 series turbojet engine. Republic proposed their new aircraft and on paper proposed it would be superior to Lockheed’s P-80 Shooting Star. The USAAF noting Republic’s already proven experience with single-seat fighters proposed a contract without holding any competition. These initial order fighters were listed as YP-84As and P-84Bs.

These early test aircraft were put to wind tunnel testing and it was found that major flaws developed when subjected to high speeds, notably longitudinal instability in the aircraft’s frame and stabilizer skin buckling at high speeds. Also noted was issues with the weight of the aircraft and the problem with early turbojets not producing enough thrust for takeoff and climb outs (a problem which plagued the F-84B aircraft until more robust engines were outfitted). Early J35-GE-7 engines were replaced with J35-A-15 versions which helped with the thrust ratio, however wing-tip fuel tanks were added to the mix prior to proper testing and issues developed which at one point grounded the fleet of aircraft until modifications were made.

In 1947, the USAF changed the pursuit designation of the aircraft to fighter and thus the P-84 became the F-84. The YP-84A and the F-84B only differed when it came to the type of M3 machine guns they carried, as the F-84B had faster-firing machine guns than the YP-84A. Early successes of the F-84B were overshadowed by problem after problem including a speed restriction limiting flight to no more than Mach 0.8 as any faster and the aircraft experienced control reversal where the pilot would input normal commands with the control stick and the opposite manoeuvre would occur (for instance if the pilot pulled back on the control stick to make the aircraft climb, the aircraft would actually begin to dive and vice versa). Even with the speed restrictions, the entire fleet of F-84B fighters was grounded by 1948 due to parts shortages and structural failures. It was also at this time that the F-84C aircraft were also determined to be incapable of performing any of their mission parameters, however since the F-84D was already under production (with all of the B and C variants issues being resolved), the program continued. Funding was allocated to upgrade the B and C variants, however, both were finally withdrawn from active duty service by the end of 1952.

Testing of the F-84D determined that the wings needed to be covered with a thicker aluminium skin to strengthen them which was helpful because the engine was upgraded to the more powerful J35-A-17D. Here it was found that during high-G manoeuvres, the wingtip fuel tanks led to the structural failure of the wings due to twisting motions. A simple fix of adding a small triangular fin to the external portion of the fuel tank alleviated that problem. Despite the fixes introduced with the D variant, it too was withdrawn from active duty in 1952. The F-84E variant fighter saw modifications specifically with strengthened wings and a larger cockpit which was necessary to equip advanced avionics to include an A-1C gunsight which worked with an APG-30 radar. Folding rocket racks were also developed so that once the HVAR rockets were fired; the racks would fold flush with the wing increasing the aircraft’s overall aerodynamics. Unfortunately even with all of the modifications, failure of the aircraft hinged upon the Allison J35-A-17 engines which were only designed to be flown for 25 hours a month and would receive a complete overhaul after 100 hours of flight. Due to the number of sorties flown in the Korean War, engine overhauls were taking place more frequently and quickly exhausted all of the spare parts and new engines produced.

The final variant of F-84 introduced was the G variant which began service in 1951. Utilised for the next nine years, the F-84G had new innovations which became standard on future aircraft to include, a refuelling boom mounted on the left-wing for in-flight refuelling, instrument landing system to allow for landing during inclement weather, a J35-A-29 engine, an autopilot system and the first fighter with the ability to carry a single Mark 7 nuclear bomb. The F-84G was retired from US service in 1960, however, countries such as Portugal continued to use this fighter through 1974 and were flown out of Angola. The F-84 had a rocky start into the foray of turbine jet fighters, however, challenges and difficulties paved the way for the F-100 Super Sabre and the RF-101 Voodoo as their replacements.

At least 13 other countries bought into the F-84 program including China (Taiwan) which purchased 246 F-84G fighters and operated them from 1953 to 1964.

Media

Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.

See also

Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:

• reference to the series of the aircraft;
• links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.

External links

Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:

• topic on the official game forum;
• encyclopedia page on the aircraft;
• other literature.